2015 Will be Filled with Music

Posted on 31 December, 2014 in Inspiration, Music

whateversgoodforIt’s the last day of the year! I have never been so excited to stay home and do nothing but hang out with Caroline and Ava, watch movies, eat pizza, and drink wine. And since I am the only one the crew that is of legal drinking age, all the wine will be mine (not sure if that’s a good thing). I’ve already thought about my goals for next year, mainly to get my private pilot’s license. I know I can do it, and I’m so excited to do it! I will be more proud of that than any test I’ve passed, or degree, license or certificate I’ve ever earned. I also plan to streamline my life by eliminating every-other-day trips to the grocery store / Target, and being better about tackling mail, laundry and dishes immediately. But there’s one more resolution for next year, and it is to listen to music, lots of music, every day. 

I have always known that I love music. But it wasn’t until last week I realized how much music makes me happy. The day I got back from Virginia last week I picked up a couple of Sonos speakers, a little present to myself. Sonos works with your iphone or android phone, and lets you control what’s playing in which room. Everything goes through your wifi, and it is so easy to set up. In the last week, I have listened to a lot more music than I normally do. Everything from George Strait and Jerrod Niemann to Blink 182 and Ariana Grande. And of course Taylor Swift! Along with my Sirius XM, and playlists on my phone, I have a Pandora One membership, which is a great way to discover new music. Music is on while making breakfast, cleaning the house, working, studying for my flight lessons at night, and packing for my move next month. And I’ve realized that music, makes me happy. The Sonos speakers are awesome, but it’s not the speakers that make me happy, it’s the sound of the beat of the music and the way it makes me feel.

On New Year’s Eve, and the day before my birthday, I always reflect on the year before, and the year ahead. My birthday is at the beginning of June, so this type of reflection happens twice a year. A lot of good things have happened in the past 12 months, and some not-so-good things. I am definitely not the same person I was last year. I am a lot stronger, less anxious, more confident, and a better communicator. And, thanks to my flying lessons, I am learning to stay calm in stressful situations, and not let one distraction be enough to throw me off the flight plan (or life). I know the feeling of pointing an airplane straight towards the sun in the middle of the day and being blinded by it. I’ve experienced the falling feeling and that split-second panic, followed by a smooth recovery, that only happened because I stayed the course and did what I had to do. There are stressful times, but if you stay calm, you can recover!

Cheers to a happy and prosperous 2015!!

December 29th Flying Lesson Recap – Turns Around a Point

Posted on 30 December, 2014 in Flying Lessons

turns-around-a-pointI had another flying lesson yesterday, and I almost got sick again! I have not thrown up in the cockpit, but I’ve come very close. Too close. The extremely close call, a few weeks ago, happened when we were practicing power off stalls. Those freaked me out big time and the sickness I felt was definitely fear-related. But now, those stalls are no big deal. It’s funny how something can be so scary at first, and as you practice it more and more, it becomes easy.

Yesterday, we worked on turns around a point, just one of the many training maneuvers I need to do to get my pilot’s license. This maneuver is exactly what it sounds like. You’re flying over something, probably some sort of landmark. Yesterday, the landmark was a water tower in Valley Center. As part of the exercise, I had to fly the Cessna in three complete circles of uniform distance using a maximum bank of approximately 45 degrees while maintaining constant altitude. The motion sickness I felt yesterday definitely had to do with looking at the point on the ground and constantly shifting my attention between the traffic in front of me, the point on the ground, and my instruments (the airspeed indicator, altimeter, and heading indicator). It is multi-tasking at it’s best. Good thing I wasn’t texting while doing all that.

According to my Airplane Flying Handbook, there are several reasons we learn how to fly urns around a point. They are to further perfect our turning technique, to perfect the ability to subconsciously control the airplane while dividing attention between the flight path and ground references, to develop a keen perception of altitude, and to perfect the ability to correct for wind drift while in turns.

For turns around appoint, you have to take into account the wind. You enter the turn on the downwind During the downwind half of the circle the nose of the plane is turned toward the inside of the circle, and during the upwind half, the nose is turned toward the outside. I think the biggest challenge for me will be gaining or losing altitude, and learning to divide my attention equally between the flight path and ground references and instruments.

I’m flying again on Saturday, and I’m going to nail it! After that, I have to do steep turns, and then it will be time for my big stage check, all leading up to my solo. I can’t wait!

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Thinking About 2015 Resolutions and Goals

Posted on 30 December, 2014 in Inspiration, Motivation

2013practiceDuring December every year, I think about the goals I want to make for the following year. I am always optimistic that the new year will be the best year yet! I am not someone to write down a few resolutions on New Year’s Eve and then half-heartedly try to achieve them. For me, a resolution starts with a simple acknowledgement that I want some part of my life to be better and is brought to life with a plan that includes daily, weekly, and monthly goals. Along with that acknowledgement and plan, is an understanding of why I need to make a change. This understanding is critical when I am feeling lazy or procrastinating

lifequote2For lots of people, resolutions are forgotten and abandoned by mid-January. I think this is because most people don’t have a specific plan for achieving their goals. There is a saying “Failing to plan is planning to fail” – and it’s really true. If you want to lose weight, but don’t know how you are going to do it, it’s not going to magically happen. A weight loss plan will be much more successful with a specific diet and exercise plan, broken down to daily workouts and calorie intake. Rather than resolutions, I like to focus on big goals that I can achieve, and improvements to fine-tune things I am already working on.

My big goal for 2015 is to get my private pilot license, and hopefully instrument rating. This I am working on daily, and will continue to do so until I pass that FAA Checkride. Other than that, my 2015 goals are continued improvements on 2014 efforts. I want to be more effective in keeping my house organized. Specifically, I will be better at going through mail right away, keeping the kitchen counters clutter free at all time. And laundry and dirty dishes will be addressed daily, so that they’re never waiting for me for too long. Another one of my goals for 2015 is to make the most of the valuable period of time in the morning before Ava gets up. Before I had a baby, I never realized how precious that little time is. I would lie in bed and hit the snooze button 5 or 8 times. And sometimes, I still like to do that. But now when I hear the alarm on my cell phone, I know that the cell phone alarm is a precursor to an impending baby alarm, which really can’t be ignored. If I can get up 30-45 minutes before Ava, I can have breakfast, shower, and be dressed before she gets up, which makes for a much less stressful morning.

Believe you can achieve what you set your heart to achieve, and you will do it. It might not be easy, but it will be worth it.

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Why Birchbox Is One of my Favorite Things

Posted on 28 December, 2014 in Beauty & Fashion, Favorite Things

beauty-boxWhen I like something, I tend to keep buying it, over and over and over. Because I am so busy with work, being a mom, learning to fly, and rescuing dogs, automation is the only way to organize my life. Every possible bill goes on autopay, and I even prepay for a year of cell phone service so I don’t have a bill to pay every month. Amazon prime delivers my favorite Stonewall Kitchen Pancake Mix every month (seriously, it’s better than scratch). And Ava and I are addicted to our favorite Amy’s Kitchen Pesto Tortellini, which is always in our freezer. If we like something, we are loyal.

Another thing I’ve come to be addicted to is Birchbox. I got on the Birchbox train earlier than most people, in fall of 2011, and have been a loyal subscriber every month. It is one monthly indulgence I don’t give up. When I move, I update my Birchbox subscription before I change my postal mail address. If you haven’t heard of Birchbox, it is a subscription beauty box. Think of it as a little bit of happiness every month, delivered straight to your door. Every month is a little different, and I’ve gotten everything from Stila lip gloss and Essie nail polish to Smashbox mascara and Toni & Guy hair spray. Sometimes you get a yummy treat or even a “lifestyle” sample like a note card or coaster. Everything is high quality and fun. I love opening up my box each month when it arrives.

Monthly subscription boxes are very popular these days, and some pretty unusual ones have popped up. For a taste of options, check out the dive bar tee shirt club (exactly what you think). Fairtreasure.com (think fair trade jewelry, décor and accessories) or BarkBox (for dog toys and treats every month).

Skin&Co Body Gel One of the reasons I am so loyal to Birchbox is Birchbox is so loyal to me. Customers earn points for every dollar they spend, not just on their subscription but also on products they purchase. My one experience with a damaged product was handled quickly and professionally – I ordered some Skin&Co Detoxifying Body Gel with Organic Rosemary & Verbena Extract that leaked through the box. I sent them a message and they replaced the product immediately and credited additional points to my account. I love to give Birchbox subscriptions as a gift because it is unique and fun – who doesn’t love goodies in their mailbox? And when I gift Birchbox, I get rewarded with points I can spend in their online store.

Birchbox also rewards you if you refer friends. For every friend that joins Birchbox, they give you 50 Birchbox points after they purchase their subscription. Ready to check it out? Here’s your official invitation.

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FAA Private Pilot Knowledge Study Session #1

Posted on 28 December, 2014 in Private Pilot Exam

I am already thinking ahead to the FAA airmen knowledge test, which is the “written portion” of the private pilot exam. I know there are going to be 60 multiple choice questions and I will have to have to get a score of 70% to pass. From everything I’ve read, this multiple choice portion of the test isn’t that hard, and the subject matter itself is the equivalent to junior high coursework. But just because I’ve learned something once, doesn’t mean I’ll always remember it. And only knowing 70% of the information I should know doesn’t feel like a good plan. So, along with my ground school Cessna flight training, I’m going to start reviewing and planning for the knowledge test. The FAA publishes a sample exam, so I will be including information from that as well as the Private Oral Exam Guide by Michael D. Hayes.

Sample Questions and Analysis

The term `angle of attack` is defined as the angle between the

A) chord line of the wing and the relative wind.
B) airplane`s longitudinal axis and that of the air striking the airfoil.
C) airplane`s center line and the relative wind.

The correct answer is A. The angle of attack is the difference between the wing’s chord line and the flight path – not the ground. Relative wind, which is defined as the direction of the airflow over a wing in flight, parallels the flight path.

When activated, an emergency locator transmitter (ELT) transmits on

A) 118.0 and 118.8 MHz.
B) 121.5 and 243.0 MHz.
C) 123.0 and 119.0 MHz

The correct answer is B. The newer ELTs also transmits a 406 MHz encoded digital message to the Cospas/Sarsat satellite system, which allows for rapid identification and reduces Search and Rescue response time. Mandatory ELT laws were instituted in January 1968.

Unless otherwise authorized, if flying a transponder equipped aircraft, a recreational pilot should squawk which VFR code?

A) 1200.
B) 7600.
C) 7700.

The correct answer is A. You can find more information about transponder requirements and ATC Transponder phraseology on the AOPA website.

When making routine transponder code changes, pilots should avoid inadvertent selection of

which code?

A) 7200.
B) 4000.
C) 7500.

The corrector is C. This is the Hijack code, and a way for the pilot or flight crew to silently alert air traffic control that it is under duress. If you input this in the transponder, the air traffic controller will has you to confirm you input the code.

Deviation error of the magnetic compass is caused by

A) northerly turning error.
B) certain metals and electrical systems within the aircraft.
C) the difference in location of true north and magnetic north.

The correct answer is B. Magnetic deviation should not be confused with Magnetic Variation, which is the difference between the Compass North and True North. Learn more about the mag compass at pilotfriend.com.

That’s all for tonight… more to come soon.

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Sunshine on a Rainy Day ~ Healthy Grieving and My New End Table “Flora”

Posted on 17 December, 2014 in Dog Rescue, Grieving, Home Decor

20141216_174902I am still feeling hollow. Yesterday, I  helped my old beagle Buster cross Rainbow Bridge. I’ve known this day was coming since I adopted him, but in the last year or so, it’s been clear that the time was coming near. Yesterday morning, I knew immediately it was the day I had dreaded for so long, and as much as it hurt, I am so glad I got to be there holding him as he took his last breath. We had nearly 10 years together – I adopted him at age 20 and helped him cross the bridge at age 30. Being there for him was the least I could do after he was there for me every day during a huge chapter of my life.

I’m learning, grief is a funny thing. It can be sneaky! You think you’ve got a handle on it, and you’re doing okay, then it sneaks up on you and your eyes get all leaky when you’re sitting at a stop light or typing up a work email. I don’t think there is any period of time that one should take to grieve, there certainly aren’t any deadlines here. The important thing is to grieve in healthy ways. As the days pass, I will be taking time to remember Buster and also focus on my relationships with my other pets, my daughter Ava, and my work and flying lessons.

It was raining in San Diego today, and the rain felt like the perfect accompaniment to my sadness. I stopped and got a manicure and pedicure on my way home from work, and just enjoyed that quiet time and read tattered gossip magazines from August of 2013. When I finally made my way home, and got out of my car in the rain (because why would I carry an umbrella?) there was a surprise waiting for me at the front door – a bright, cheerful yellow side table.

My good friend Amber Hansen has gotten into the furniture business. Basically, she takes ugly old wood furniture that no one wants and makes it look pretty. I’m convinced that one day some she will be recruited to design furniture for one of these shabby chic vintage furniture places, but until then, we can all enjoy the fruits of her hard work. Every piece that she “rescues” has a name, and the nightstand accent table that I got is named “Flora”. Most of her furniture is painted with white acrylic paint and then she uses hand-stirred antiquing glazes to get a one of a kind result and personal touch. Amber donates 10% of every sale of her furniture to Upward Dog Rescue. And today, she generously gave me a piece of her hard work. I guess she knew, it was just what I needed. Check out her projects on her Hair of the Dog Facebook page.

I will be moving soon, and my Flora table will be coming with me. I will always look at it with a smile, and remember the way I felt when I saw this bright, happy yellow table in front of my front door, on that rainy day one day after Buster went to heaven. I know already, that this beautiful table will hold his ashes when they come home from Peaceful Paws in a week or two.

florabeforeandafter

 

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

― Maya Angelou

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Song on Repeat :: “La Cienega Just Smiled” by Ryan Adams

Posted on 12 December, 2014 in Music, Song Meanings

iTunes Festival: Ryan Adams Perform At The RoundhouseThere are a few songs I love that I will never get sick of, like Kenny Chesney’s “Down the Road” or Taylor Swift’s “Ours”. One song that I can listen to over and over again, when I am sad or happy, is “La Cienega Just Smiled” by Ryan Adams. I originally discovered this song while reading “Love the One You’re With” by Emily Giffin. On her website, she talks about listening to this song on repeat while writing the book. After I read the book (the song is included in the book) I of course downloaded the song from Itunes and fell in love with it. During one particularly heartbreaking point in my life, days after my husband and I separated, I listened to this song on repeat for 3 hours at the LAX airport when my flight was delayed. I had never felt so sad in my life, and Ryan Adams’ song was strangely comforting. Now, whenever I hear “La Cienega Just Smiled”, the song takes me right back to that airport terminal, and I feel relief that I got through that period of darkness and sadness, and came out on top. Here is the audio so you can listen to it as you read this post.

“Ah the night…here it comes again”
It’s on with the jeans, the jacket and the shirt
How’d I end up feeling so bad
For such a little girl
And I hold you close in the back of my mind
Feels so good but damn it makes me hurt
And I’m too scared to know to how I feel about you now
La Cienega just smiles…”see ya around”
And I hold you close in the back of my mind
And raise my glass ’cause either way I’m dead
Neither of you really help me to sleep anymore
One breaks my body and the other breaks my soul
La Cienega just smiles as it waves goodbye
“Ah the night…here it comes again”
It’s off with the jeans, the jacket and the shirt
How’d I end up feeling so bad
For such a little girl
And I hold you close in the back of my mind
Feels so good but damn it makes me hurt
And I’m too scared to know how I feel about you now
How I feel about you now
La Cienega just smiles and says, “I’ll see you around”

 

Even years after I first heard it, I still wonder about the song – what is it about? One of the great things about this song (and maybe why it’s so popular) is that the meaning is up to your own interpretation, or maybe your imagination.  From SongMeanings.com, here are some of the top theories:

• this song is about addiction to drugs and how they are destroying him but he can’t stop. the drugs make him feel good for a while but they always end up leaving him feeling depressed when they wear off. in the first verse the drugs are wearing off, and he’s thinking “how’d i end up feeling so bad for such a little girl”. then there’s the element of addiction – “la cienega just smiled… see you around”. he feels helpless to his addiction and knows he’ll be back for more.

• I think La Cienega is a prostitute. a young one. maybe too young.
he never got her real name, so he named her after the street, where she was standing.

• Its about life and its uncertainty with its changes. he is torn with his decisions. and this girl is on his mind, and obviously affecting his decisions.

• I always thought it was about a girl he was sleeping with, but not committed to. She was in it for the fun of it too, but he’s beginning to fall for her.

• It can be expressive of any moment in which you realize the girl you care about doesn’t care about you anymore (and maybe never did). The “I’ll see you around” is that key phrase that lets you know.

• I feel the song is about a girl he has fallen in love with who lives in an area off of La Cienaga Blvd in LA. He’s fallen completely in love with her but she doesn’t feel the same way. He’s a mess because of it.

I personally feel that the song is about a girl that he is unsure of his feelings about, but she is definitely important to him. Maybe she’s too young, or for some reason they can’t be together. What do you think the song is about? And what are your favorite songs to listen to over and over again?

 

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Power Off (Approach to Landing) Stall – Chair Flying the Steps

Posted on 10 December, 2014 in Flying Lessons

Tomorrow I have another flight lesson, and we will be going over more basics, and hopefully doing power-off stalls for the last time. I have to get it perfect. In our pre-flight briefing, I will need to do some chair flying, which is not as fun as it sounds. It does involve sitting in a chair, but there’s no flying involved in chair flying. It is rather a visualization technique. When I’m chair flying with my instructor it’s my job to tell the instructor what I’ve learned and step-by-step, how I will do certain maneuvers. Tomorrow, my instructor will ask me to walk him through the power-off approach to landing stall, and I will be able to recite, with my eyes closed, these 11 steps:

  1. Select a minimum entry altitude of 2,000 feet
  2. Verify the area is clear of traffic by executing shallow turns
  3. Reduce throttle to 1,700 RPM
  4. Apply backpressure to maintain level flight
  5. Verify airspeed is 110 KIAS for 10 degrees of flaps and 85 KIAS for 20 and 30 degrees of flaps
  6. Select full down-wing flaps in 10 degree increments
  7. Reduce throttle to idle
  8. Reduce airspeed to 65 KIAS
  9. Initiate a 500 feet-per-minute descen
  10. Level the aircraft by pitching to a landing attitude
  11. Recognize and announce the onset of the stall.

And for further reinforcement, I created a video to aid in memorization. I am not going to go to bed until I can recite and explain this thoroughly.

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Everybody Needs to Know About Statutes of Limitations – Specifically in Child Sexual Abuse Cases

Posted on 10 December, 2014 in Child Sexual Abuse, Legal Marketing

thingsineverlearnedI saw a post on Facebook today about things I never learned in high school (see image). It’s true, in high school we don’t really learn what taxes are, how to file them, how to vote, how to write a resume, anything to do with banking, applying for a loan, or buying a car or house. Another thing that instantly came to mind, is the civil justice system. So many people don’t understand civil law vs. criminal law, and statutes of limitations, and why they’re so important. This should be taught in high school.

The wonderful law firm I work for, Estey Bomberger, specializes in institutional childhood sex abuse cases, civil cases where children are harmed by people in institutions (think schools, churches, dioceses, Boy Scouts, foster agencies, etc). Unfortunately, sexual abuse of children is pretty common. People who work in schools and churches have easy access to children that are taught and instructed to respect and obey them. As a parent to a young daughter, it is something I will be paying close attention to, and when it’s appropriate in a few years, talking to her. Side note, here is a great article about how to talk with your children about sexual abuse.

I am very proud of the work that our attorneys do for child molestation victims – not just our clients but children in schools, churches and the foster system really are safer because of it, and I’ve seen firsthand the very grateful families that we have been able to help. Our work has brought real changes to private and public institutions, changes that make our children safer.

timelimitsAlong with moderating the comments on our blog and website, I have seen hundreds of inquiries come through to our firm from people who have suffered horrific abuse that has caused devastating heartbreak. Unfortunately, in many situations we are simply unable to help with a civil case because the statute of limitations has expired. I’ve seen inquiries from people who were abused by a teacher or priest in the 70’s or 80’s and just now want to pursue a lawsuit. It make me sad that we simply can’t help them – no attorney can help them. It’s just too late.

From working in the legal industry, I know what a statute of limitations is. But surprisingly, many people have no idea that if they suffer some kind of injustice, for which they would like to pursue damages (money), they need to do it within a certain period of time from the date of occurrence. This time period is set by statute, which is why it’s called a statute of limitations Almost every state has a basic suspension of the statute of limitation for civil actions while the person is a minor – this is known as a “tolling”. There are also extensions in some states for cases specifically involving sexual abuse of children. It gets even more complicated when the defendant is a government entity – most often, a school district.

Our state senator Jim Beall has been trying to change the law in California. He has pushed two civil damages bills (Senate bill SB 131 in 2013 and Senate Bill 924 this year). In September, our current governor vetoed Beall’s childhood sex abuse lawsuit bill, just like he did the prior year. This year, he did increase the criminal statute of limitations, but vetoed legislation to give victims more time to seek civil damages against third parties. Brown said, ““There needs to be a compelling reason to lengthen the statute of limitations for civil claims against third parties. I do not see evidence of that here.” You can read more about Brown’s veto in the Sacramento Bee.

I personally feel there is plenty of compelling evidence / reasons to lengthen the statute of limitations and that anyone who puts profits over the safety of our children needs to be held accountable, no matter how long it has been. Unfortunately, Jim Brown has been reelected for another term. Hopefully, in the future, this will be revisited.

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Cessna 172 Power Off Stall Recovery – 8 Steps

Posted on 8 December, 2014 in Flying Lessons

I learned this weekend that I need to have my procedures an maneuvers memorized completely – 100%. Of course, understanding is more important than just memorization.  I need to be able to explain the procedure with my eyes closed, from memory. It’s been awhile since I’ve had any schooling where memorization was so important. Not only do I need to know what to do, I need to be able to explain what I need to do, and then do it. I hate fumbling my explanation or forgetting important steps. It is frustrating and I feel really dumb when I don’t know what I need to do.

In each lesson after my preflight instruction, my instructor and i meet in the pilot briefing room in the hangar and have a little pow wow. We discuss what we are working on that day and then we usually do chair flying, where I either sit with my eyes closed, or in front of the cockpit poster. John asks me to walk him through a particular procedure, such as stalls. And then I talk through step by step what I will be doing, where I will be looking, etc.

In my next lesson, we will be doing power off stalls again, hopefully for the last time so we can move on to the next stage. I plan to have my steps completely understood and memorized. I made a little video tonight that I will play over and over the next couple of days so that I can recite this back at my next lesson.

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